


Real Demons

by Shadow Etherious (GothAlbinoAngel)



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:53:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23168068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothAlbinoAngel/pseuds/Shadow%20Etherious
Summary: During one of their usual spars, Mira partially transforms herself. Erza has a much less than impressed reaction. When she runs away, Mira chases her down, demanding an explanation. Cute Mirza friendship.Also on FF.net
Relationships: Erza Scarlet & Mirajane Strauss
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10





	Real Demons

**Author's Note:**

> It seems I really enjoy awkward Mirza interactions with vulnerable Erza and apologetic but uncomfortable Mirajane.
> 
> For anyone who recognizes this one, I've edited it before posting it on AO3. Just so ya know!

The Fairy Tail Guild was as rowdy as ever. Natsu and Gray were spitting insults at one another while Wakaba and Macao talked about news around Magnolia and Master just enjoyed the atmosphere. Erza and Mirajane were in the middle of their usual argument as well. Instead of just throwing insults like Natsu and Gray at the moment, they were locked in a battle to throw one another into a wall.

Naturally, the rest of the guild bustled around the two of them as they locked heads. The fights hardly got anywhere, even as they each struggled to overcome the other. They'd stopped throwing insults at one another a year or two ago and had resorted to simply growling irritably at each other as soon as they locked heads. One of them would throw a punch or a kick, but apart from the occasional grunt or hiss alongside the sound of skin hitting skin, they were mostly silent.

They broke away from each other, panting heavily. They glared at one another in loathing (and a hidden sense of respect) as they took a breather. It was the sixth time that day they needed to take a moment to rest and assess their own strengths and the weaknesses of their opponent. As they wiped their foreheads, Mira and Erza sized up their opponent, trying to find a possible opening. If there was something that would allow them to get the upper hand and secure victory this time, they didn't want to miss the chance.

Unfortunately, trading blows was getting them nowhere. Even though they'd been at this for almost as long as Mira had known how to control her power, they still refused to use their magic. Winning by your own merit was the real winning and both of them used borrowed sources. Well, today, that was going to change.

Mirajane smirked at Erza as she decided to amp things up a notch now that they were almost equals. Erza could never succeed in beating her with magic, after all. Those toothpicks she called swords would have no effect on her demon. With some concentration, Mira allowed her TakeOver to partially consume her arm. She sneered at the shock crossing Erza's face as she reached out. Grabbing Erza's arm, Mirajane made certain her prey couldn't escape and raised her other hand to strike.

"Hah!" she sneered. "Not even you can beat a demon!"

The words caused Erza to freeze, her mind grinding to a halt. Blue hair and a face tattoo flashed in her mind's eye, along with an evil smile. _Demon_.

The entire guild watched Erza in confusion as she seemed to just stare off into space. Had she forgotten that she was battling Mirajane. Mirajane tilted her head in confusion, but gritted her teeth when a red aura surrounded Erza. Swords appeared from all directions, aiming right at a suddenly apprehensive Mira. As one, all of the swords rushed her at once and Mirajane was forced to let go of Erza if she didn't want to be speared.

Once she was free, Erza reached out to grab the hilt of a sword and turned to face her adversary with fire in her eyes. The rest of the weapons disappeared back into her pocket dimension as she and Mirajane faced off once again. Everyone shifted as a different aura entered the air. Usually, when the kids were fighting, they didn't use magic as a means of getting the upper hand. So many of them were powerful enough to do the hall and everyone in it a good deal of damage. It was disconcerting to see two of the most powerful children about to come to blows using their magic instead of fists.

Holding her sword ready to fight, Erza glared over at her rival in utmost loathing. "You think you've seen demons?" Erza whispered, her low voice ringing through the silent building. "You haven't seen _any_ demons."

"What are you talking about?" Mirajane demanded. "I _possess_ demons!" She allowed more of the demon form to take over her body as proof.

"Those _aren't_ demons!" Erza shouted, slamming the flat of her sword against a support pillar. "Those are _creatures_ , beasts with only the thought of destruction in their mind!" She slashed at the pillar in frustration. She pulled the sword from the wood before she accidentally collapsed the support. "Demons are... demons are..."

Images flashed through her mind then. Not just Jellal, but her friends from the tower. Millianna's tear-stained cheeks, Simon fighting to get Erza back from the punishment. The cultists' evil smiles and their shouts as they forced those people to work. And Jellal, the maniacal grin he had when he forced her to leave behind her friends.

Staring down at her hands, Erza didn't even notice as her sword disappeared. She was too focused on the memories. What had she done? She was no better than those cultists, than Jellal. She'd run away instead of helping her friends.

"Demons are..." People who hurt others, who leave others to suffer... "Me... People like me..."

Turning on her heel, Erza rushed out the door. She ran. Ran from the memories, from the pain, from the fear, everything. She needed to shut it down, to block them out, to force them to the back of her mind and forget. She couldn't let them overpower her, not in front of everyone. Tears fell from her eye as she headed anywhere she could hide and pull herself together.

As Erza ran off, Mirajane stared after her in utter confusion. "What the hell is her problem?" she muttered.

"It appears your demon transformation brought about unwanted memories," Master sighed from his perch atop the counter.

"How, though?" Mirajane snapped in frustration. She was confused. She hated being confused. "Gray actually lost his family because a demon killed them! How could he be okay with my transformations, but she freaks out?"

Gray rubbed the back of his neck, not wanting to get involved in the conversation right now. Personally, he wasn't afraid of _all_ demons, just... Deliora. But he'd tell Mira that when she wasn't partially transformed.

"Something Erza said doesn't make any sense," Macao murmured to Master as the rest of the guild went back to what it was doing. "She said the demons that Mirajane used weren't actual demons. Then she went and called herself a demon. Any idea what that's all about?"

Master tapped his chin, his eyebrows pulling together. "It seems Erza has a few things from her past that aren't completely taken care of." _As many of us do,_ he added internally. "I think it best if everyone just left her alone for a while. We don't want to trigger a magical meltdown. She'll come back when she's calmed down."

"Hey," Elfman asked, he and Lisanna glancing around in confusion. "Where'd Big Sis go?"

Master resisted the urge to facepalm and heaved a sigh. "I'll get the property damage forms ready..."

Mirajane raced from the guild hall, looking for any sign of her sword-swinging rival. She needed to know what Erza was on about. What she'd said had sparked too many questions and Mirajane wanted answers. _Now._ Catching a flash of red rapidly disappearing up the path to Fairy Hills, Mirajane gave chase.

Erza was just ahead of her, armor clinking with every step she took. Despite all of the jokes Mirajane made about her weight, Erza was actually _very_ fit and it took Mirajane a few moments to catch up to her, even with her transformation. By then, they'd made it to the lobby of Fairy Hills.

Intent not to let her prey get away, Mirajane reached out and grabbed Erza's arm, yanking her to a stop. Erza turned swiftly in her grasp and slammed a hard punch into Mirajane's stomach. Mirajane coughed, letting go to nurse her abdomen. Making to take off again, Erza cried out when a hand clamped over her braid instead.

"Get off!" she shrieked, trying to claw at Mirajane's arm.

Mirajane, though, was watching her rival. This was different than their usual fighting. Erza wasn't being angry or competitive right now. Right now, she was vulnerable and desperate. It was unlike Mirajane had ever seen her before.

"I'm not letting you go until ya tell me what ya meant back in the guild hall," Mirajane stated. For emphasis, she gripped the braid tighter.

"It didn't mean anything!" Erza shouted, not noticing that her swords were starting to materialize. "I didn't mean anything!"

"Liar!" Mirajane snarled. "Tell me what you meant! You said you were a demon, right? So, what? You think you're as big and bad as the demons I've taken down?"

Erza turned as much as she could and smashed a fist across Mirajane's jaw. "You idiot! You think those animals you absorb are demons? They're nothing compared to real demons!"

"What does that _mean!_ " They faced each other now, one furious, the other circulating between anger, terror, and grief. Mirajane ignored her sore jaw in favor of keeping Erza in place. "What are _real demons_ then?"

"HUMANS!" Erza roared, her telekinesis lifting more than just her weapons now. Any loose object in the lobby was being lifted and dropped around them. "Do you even comprehend the horrible things humans have done to other humans? You parade the fact that you absorb the souls of animals while I've faced torture, injury, abandonment and nearly _died_ because of real demons. They're _humans_ who have lost the ability to care about other humans!"

Mirajane opened her mouth, but Erza kept going. "How can you stand there, having only been driven from your home, and claim to know what demons are? How did your parents die? Who killed someone you considered family? How many times have you taken the fall for a friend _and been tortured for it?"_

Mira's eyes widened at the uncontrolled magic in the air. She shuddered as Erza's eyes turned as red as her hair. She hadn't realized Erza had been keeping so much inside. It was obvious from the way the objects began swirling around them that Erza wasn't even finished. Blue eyes stared into red as Mirajane helplessly watched Erza break down in front of her.

"The only friends I've ever known, the friends I practically grew up with, are gone! I was a _slave_! They kept us in cages while they forced us to build some stupid tower to bring back Zeref! They treated us like _animals_. We barely had any food, they whipped us if we moved too slow, and everywhere I turned, there was nothing but blood and carnage and _suffering_ as far as the eye could see."

Tears leaked from one of Erza's eyes, surprising Mirajane since the other one remained dry. What the...? "And just when I thought we'd finally won, when I thought we would be free and get out of that horrible place... my _best friend_ turned into one of those demons, too. He tossed me around with his magic, he didn't care about all we'd gone through. He _forced_ me to leave my friends behind. He threatened to kill them and everyone else if I didn't run away!"

Shaking shoulders slumped as the magic aura finally dissipated. All of the objects dropped around them. "And I'm no better than him," Erza whimpered. "I... I left them all there to suffer. I'm just as much a demon as he is."

The air grew tense once more, this time from raw emotion rather than magic. Mirajane had never suspected that Erza would have so much... _utter crap_ wracked up behind her. She'd assumed that what had happened to the other kids in the guild had also happened to Erza. She thought that, either Erza's parents had taught her magic before passing or that Erza had gained her magic when she lost someone close to her. She never thought there was so much more to the story.

All the time, Erza put on a brave face. She was always stern and her eyes were always guarded, as if she were using them to hide her soul because her armor wasn't good enough. Now, Mirajane could see that it was all an act, a way to protect the vulnerability underneath, to hide the weakness no one suspected Erza even possessed.

This was the closest MIrajane had ever seen Erza to a complete breakdown and, if she was honest, it just felt wrong. Erza was supposed to be strong, defiant. That's what made her such a perfect sparring rival. No one else butted heads with Mirajane like Erza did and Mirajane refused to see Erza in any state other than the proud and strong face she put on.

Mirajane set her jaw and walked forward. She wrapped her arms around the Erza's torso, bringing her close. Erza was slightly shorter than her, but it was fine. Erza froze up in surprise and made to pull away. Mirajane simply allowed more of her demon strength to filter out and pressed Erza's head to her shoulder, allowing Erza to cry for a few moments longer. Neither was completely comfortable with the development, but Erza at least acknowledged the attempt and seemed to calm somewhat. When she was mostly finished crying, Erza looked at Mirajane in puzzlement.

Mirajane refused to look down at the confused auburn gaze. She just kept holding Erza close. "Look," she began. "I'm no expert or anything, but you'd think that someone who actually feels _bad_ about doing something wouldn't count as a demon. Didn't you say they lost the ability to care about other people or somethin'? Doesn't sound like you've done that, if you ask me. So quit whining, you're getting my top wet. You ain't no demon and nothin's your fault. Got that, fatty?"

Erza stared up at her for a moment before sniffing and nodding. "Y-yeah, got it."

Mirajane held the hug a second longer before letting go and wrapping her arms around her own torso instead. Neither she nor Erza looked at each other. "And, uh, next time, could ya just tell me that my TakeOvers freak ya out? We don't need magic to fight each other, ya know. I can kick your butt with my bare hands."

"We'll see about that tomorrow," Erza chuckled, wiping her eye one last time. She turned toward the stairs. "And I'm... not afraid of your TakeOvers, you just caught me off guard." Before beginning her ascent, Erza turned back and whispered hesitantly, "Thanks."

Mirajane gave a half-shrug and turned to leave. "Yeah, it was nothing. Can't have my rival too traumatized to fight or whatever. Things would get too boring." Heading for the door, Mirajane left a whisper on the wind. "You're welcome."

**Author's Note:**

> I just love these two badasses so much. I really love apologetic/protective Mira and vulnerable/sweet Erza. And they're both just awkward as hell.


End file.
